Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Review

AMERICAN EXPRESS GOLD DELTA SKYMILES® BONUS MILES

Are you a frequent Delta flyer looking to rack up some extra SkyMiles® and earn rewards flights more quickly? New Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card members can earn 35,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 with the card in the first three months of opening an account. American Express is a CardRatings advertiser.

A welcome offer is almost always a nice perk, but when said bonus can quickly be turned into a free flight, that’s something that really gets our attention. 

Depending on travel location and dates, Delta offers domestic, round-trip plane tickets for as low as 20,000 SkyMiles®, meaning, if you plan it right, you can snag yourself a couple of reward tickets just with the welcome offer alone.

FEATURED CARD

 

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 60,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $600 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔®
• Fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime; no blackout dates. Plus transfer your miles to over 10+ travel loyalty programs
• No foreign transaction fees

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DELTA SKYMILES® GOLD CARD BENEFITS

On an ongoing basis, earn two miles for every $1 spent with Delta, at restaurants worldwide (including delivery and takeout) and at U.S. supermarkets, and one mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. Plus, if you spend $10,000 on your card in a calendar year, you'll receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card can certainly help you get where you're going if you're Delta-loyal.

With no foreign transaction fees, your first bag checked for free on Delta flights, and a waived annual fee for the first year, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card puts more money into your pocket, making it a smart choice for frequent travelers. All this for a reasonable $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99. (See Rates and Fees).

Other ways the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card helps cardholders save is by providing its members with one free checked bag on Delta flights and a flight credit once spending $10,000 in a calendar year – two small perks that could add up big for those who travel often.

Lastly, as travel hiccups are bound to happen, we’ve come to love the protection perks that come along with being a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card member. With its available insurance plans, when using your card to pay for your travel expenses, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card can help to cover the cost of eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage, as well as help cover any expenses you may incur if your car rental is damaged or stolen.

POTENTIAL DELTA SKYMILES® GOLD CARD DOWNSIDES

Though a good base-level credit card, some of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card perks seem a bit sub-par when compared to other American Express Delta Airlines credit cards. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, for example, both include bonus opportunities to rack up status miles with the airline, a valuable feature for frequent travelers. If you are truly Delta-loyal, you may find that the perks and features of one of these higher tier cards make them well worth their annual fees.

DELTA SKYMILES® GOLD CARDHOLDER SCORES

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results:

HOW DELTA SKYMILES® GOLD COMPARES TO OTHER CARDS

Delta SkyMiles® Gold vs. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum

See Rates and Fees

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card comes with a more sizeable annual fee of $250, but this cost could certainly be worth it for the right kind of Delta traveler.

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum card is packed full of travel benefits. Cardholders can enjoy: Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of the card (Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights - for itineraries with up to four flight segments - is required); discounted Delta Sky Club access (for a discounted fee of $39 per person, you and up to two traveling companions can relax before your flight in the Delta Sky Club); a statement credit available every four years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit available every 4.5 years after you apply for a five year TSA Pre✓® membership (up to $85); baggage insurance; and more. On an ongoing basis cardholders earn 3X miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels; 2X miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets; and 1X mile on all other eligible purchases. New cardholders also have the opportunity to earn 40,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $2,000 in purchases with the card in the first three months. Plus, earn a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new card within your first three months.

Considering all the perks that come with the Platinum card, the annual fee hardly seems like much as it can so easily be offset. If you're a frequent Delta traveler, going with the more premium Platinum card could have its advantages. However, if you're only an occasional Delta travel, you may be better suited with the Gold card.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred®

Though the 60,000 points you receive for spending $4,000 in the first three months with Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are a nice perk, the spending threshold is more than what the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card requires. Even with the high spending requirement, 60,000 points is a still a great bonus and it's worth as much as $750 in travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Plus, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders earn two times the points on all their restaurant and travel purchases, in addition to one point on all other purchases, so your spending habits might mean you're able to earn points more quickly with the Chase card. Better yet, points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, so there's potential to strech your rewards really far.

Furthermore, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card points can be redeemed through a number of different airlines, providing its users with more scheduling flexibility than Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card cardholders enjoy. The difference here really comes down to the difference between a more general travel rewards card and a branded option. If you want to keep things flexible the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card might be a great fit for you, but if your loyalty is with Delta, a SkyMiles® card may be the better fit.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold vs. Capital One Venture

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another great option for those looking for more flexible travel options. With this card, cardholders earn unlimited 2X miles on all purchases, no matter the vendor. From buying new luggage to purchasing groceries to booking a hotel room, you'll earn 2X miles on it all. Redemption options are flexible as well. Thanks to Capital One's "purchase eraser" tool, you can essentially erase recent travel purchases from your statement. From campsite bookings to Airbnb stays, to cruises to train tickets, this card allows you to cover almost any travel purchase with your rewards. It also offers Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership reimbursement, which is a nice perk for a card with such a manageable annual fee ($95). Plus, if you're searching for a card with a good welcome bonus, this card is sure to make you perk up: new cardholders can earn 60,000 miles once spending $3,000 within the first three months of card membership. That's a bonus worth up to $600 in travel.

IS DELTA SKYMILES® GOLD CARD WORTH IT?

Thanks to its great welcome offer, no foreign transaction fees and other travel perks such as free checked baggage, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is solid option for frequent travelers loyal to the Delta brand.

Survey Methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September and October 2020 to conduct surveys among 1,746 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2020-Aug. 31, 2020 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were added to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents' scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted.

To see the rates and fees for American Express cards mentioned in this article, please see the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (See Rates and Fees); Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (See Rates and Fees); Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (See Rates and Fees)